Vion appoints new CEO

On 1 September, Kint will take over management of Vion from interim CEO Tom Heidman, who has been reappointed as member of the supervisory board, with effect from the same date.

After gaining a degree in civil engineering at the University of Ghent, and following the completion of his military service, Kint started as consultant at Accenture, after which he worked for Sara Lee.

His subsequent international career has consisted of various management roles at companies such as Chiquita, where he was vice-president, north and eastern Europe, Fiskars, where he was president, Europe, and Univeg.

During his career he has worked in a number of countries, including Belgium, France and Germany. 

‘Extensive experience’​

“The dynamics of the modern food industry hold no secrets for Francis,”​ said Sipko Schat, chairman of the board of directors of Vion Food. “He is well-versed in confronting the challenges of handling fresh products and has extensive experience in maintaining good relations with suppliers, clients and producers worldwide.​

“Francis is also a facilitator par excellence, getting people and companies with different backgrounds and cultures to work together effectively.”​

Earlier this year, Vion Food published improved results for 2014. Together with the operational improvements, adjustments to the footprint and the robust financial position provide a solid foundation for continued improvement of results.

Profit margins​

The company is currently focusing on achieving the best profit margins by boosting asset value and cutting costs. Financing agreed in April 2015 and completed in June gave it the financial flexibility to deliver against agreed plans, it said.

At the same time, Henk van den Bogaart has been appointed as director of human resources (HR) at Vion, with effect from 1 October. Henk will join from Wessanen, where he has been executive vice-president for HR and organisation for the past 12 years.

He has extensive international HR experience, obtained at leading companies including Akzo, Gist-Brocades and Philips.

The appointments of Van den Bogaart and Kint completed the recent changes to Vion’s leadership team, it added.

Vion is a Dutch food company, which operates internationally. In 2014, it realised a turnover of €5 billion.